Classic Cars Then and Now

Back to the Future

En español | Hoping to ride the wave of boomer nostalgia, carmakers continue to update classics like the Chevrolet Camaro and are reviving dormant brands including the Fiat 124 Spider.  We rounded up some old favorites and paired them with their contemporary counterparts.

Fiat 124 Spider

Chevrolet’s Mustang-fighter made its debut in 1967, peaked in the 1970s and retired after 2002. A full remake returned as a 2010 model to “unite customers with fond memories” of past Camaros. It’s known for its wide hood stripes and super-powerful Chevy V-8 engines, and as a winning Trans Am-series racer (due to illegally thin and lightweight body panels) campaigned by Roger Penske and Mark Donohue in 1967-68. The 2017 model pioneers a 10-speed automatic transmission.  

Chevrolet Camaro

The name won’t die. Dodge sold the Silver Challenger in 1958 and 1959. In 1969, the Challenger was a challenger to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. Today’s Challenger is a sports coupe that’s still meant to rival the Mustang and Camaro, and it offers — as does the mechanically similar Dodge Charger sedan — a 707-hp Hellcat version that’ll hit 204 mph and empty the tank in 13 minutes wide open. Dodge likes the bad-boy image; so do buyers

Ford Mustang

First produced in 1953, Corvette took its name from a small and fast gunship. The original nearly flopped, as have some later models. Chevy parent General Motors halted Corvette development in the tumble toward GM’s 2009 bankruptcy bailout, but revived the program afterward. The clean-sheet redo, launched as a 2014 model, is considered sexier and faster than exotic rivals at twice the price. The remake is the first to use the Stingray moniker since the radical design of the 1963 Vette.  

Dodge Challenger

The Italian import’s adorable size (it was named for its 500-cubic-centimeter engine) made it countercultural in the late-1950s era of huge cars. Fiat, which has combined with Chrysler to become Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, manufactured the 500 until 1976, then revived it for its 50th anniversary in 2007. Pope Francis rode in a 500 during his U.S. tour in September 2015. Fiat has expanded the line to include the 2016 500X, which shares hardware with FCA’s Jeep Renegade.

Mini Cooper

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Cadillac

En español | Hoping to ride the wave of boomer nostalgia, carmakers continue to update classics like the Chevrolet Camaro and are reviving dormant brands including the Fiat 124 Spider.  We rounded up some old favorites and paired them with their contemporary counterparts.

Fiat 500

En español | Hoping to ride the wave of boomer nostalgia, carmakers continue to update classics like the Chevrolet Camaro and are reviving dormant brands including the Fiat 124 Spider.  We rounded up some old favorites and paired them with their contemporary counterparts.

Ford F-Series

En español | Hoping to ride the wave of boomer nostalgia, carmakers continue to update classics like the Chevrolet Camaro and are reviving dormant brands including the Fiat 124 Spider.  We rounded up some old favorites and paired them with their contemporary counterparts.

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En español | Hoping to ride the wave of boomer nostalgia, carmakers continue to update classics like the Chevrolet Camaro and are reviving dormant brands including the Fiat 124 Spider.  We rounded up some old favorites and paired them with their contemporary counterparts.